Masala Vada Style Falafel Recipe, How To Make Masala Vada Style Falafel Recipe

Masala Vada Style Falafel This is a brilliant snack where the popular Falafel dish is cooked in Indian Masala Vada style. This can be called as a Middle Eastern Masala vada. A delicious Falafel cooked in Indian style Masala vada made with chick peas, spices, fresh herbs and little chickpea flour for binding; all combined together and deep fried in the shape of a ball or patty.

Falafel falafel recipeis a very popular Middle Eastern deep fried snack made with ground chickpeas or fava beans or a combination of both and added to spices; served with tahini sauce. Falafel is popularly made with chickpeas in countries like Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine whereas fava beans was used by the Egyptians. This is also a traditional Arab food generally served stuffed in pita bread with some veggies/ salads, pickled vegetables and topped with tahini based sauces. The pita breads acts as a pocket or wrapper. These falafel balls have a nice texture, crisp on the outer side and soft towards inside. Falafel is well-liked and a common form of street food/ fast food in the Middle Eastern countries.

During the Ramadan month, Falafel balls are often eaten as part of the iftar (the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset). History states that the custom of eating falafel in a pita stuffed with salads began in Israel. In spite of falafel being a deep fried snack, it has a nice fluffier texture inside and crispness on the outer surface. Falafel is made with garbanzo beans which are mainly valued for their fiber content.

It is a very versatile legume and a prominent ingredient in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes such as hummus, falafels and curries. Garbanzo or chickpeas have delicious nut like taste and buttery texture. Chickpeas are widely used in most north Indian dishes such as Chole batura, Chana masala, Achari chana pulao etc. Chickpeas are a good source of protein and provides amount of protein comparable to that of meat or dairy foods.

It is an excellent ingredient for most vegetarians. falafel recipe- Masala vada Masala Vadai is a deep fried snack that is preferred by most people in southern India; made with chana dal slightly similar to a cutlet or patty shape whereas Falafel is usually served as round balls stuffed between pita bread. Masala vada is an amazing tea time snack and can be eaten on its own. The complete vada is almost crispy on all sides and crunchy inside.

Falafel is fluffier inside because of the use of baking powder. Masala Vada is generally deep fried (can also make steamed Masala vada) while falafel recipe can be either deep fried or oven baked.

Nutrition value of Falafel When made with chickpeas, falafel is high in protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber. Chickpes are low in fat, salt and contain no cholesterol. Rich in key nutrients such as calcium, iron , magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, Vitamin C, thiamine, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B, and folate. Falafel is high in soluble fiber, which has been shown to be effective in lowering blood cholesterol. To reduce the high fat content on deep frying, Falafel can also be baked making it a more healthier and nutritious dish. Baking just slightly alters the texture and flavour of the dish but not to a great extent.

How to make Masala Vada style Falafel:

Ingredients:

Chickpeas (boiled)  -           1 cup

Chickpea flour          -           2 tbsp

Baking powder         -           pinch

Coriander, chopped-           1 bunch

Garlic, chopped        -           1 tsp

Onions, chopped     -           2 nos

Cumin powder          -           1 tbsp

Lemon juice              -           2 tbsp

Parsley, chopped     -           2 bunch

Pepper pd                  -           ½ tsp

Red chilli pd              -           1 tbsp

Salt                             -           to taste

Directions:

Take a bowl and add the chickpeas covered with water and soak them overnight. This helps in doubling their size. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans well. Put them into your food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic cloves, fresh or dry parsley, cumin powder, pepper powder, red chilli powder, salt, coriander and grind to a coarse paste. Remove the mixture and put it in a bowl.

To this mixture, add baking powder, chickpea flour (you can also use all-purpose flour), lemon juice and very little water. Mix all ingredients well and make into small dumplings and deep fry them until golden in colour. Serve with pita bread along with vegetable salads and Tahini sauce. Tips: Baking powder lightens up the inside texture of the falafel balls. While frying, if the balls won't hold together then add few spoons of flour to the mixture.

If they still won't hold, add an egg to the mix. This should fix most of the issues you are having. Do try preparing this amazing dish from the land of Middle East and I am sure you will enjoy its taste, flavour, texture and wish to grab more. You could also alternatively, check this recipe on:

https://www.vahrehvah.com/masala-vada-style-falafel